


Tea Party

by prettyface_lonelyheart



Series: Talbert Family Vignettes [1]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Domestic, Gen, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 14:59:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17469773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyface_lonelyheart/pseuds/prettyface_lonelyheart
Summary: A cute little playtime story.





	Tea Party

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part in a line of vignettes I've had planned for about a year now. The stories will be no more than a thousand words each and will follow some scenarios and events involving Tab, his wife Aria, and their daughter Florence. Other characters, both in the show and original will be introduced later on. I will be making the series slot for this once I post the second part, so enjoy this introduction for now!
> 
> Also, this story was inspired by this [tweet](https://twitter.com/dajjrambo/status/947223554680115200?lang=en).

When Tab gets home from work, he sorts through the mail on the kitchen table.

Bills, bills, postcard from the dentist, bills...

Then, there’s a piece of drawing paper.

Across the top, “Florence’s Tea Party” is scrawled in pink colored pencil.

_To: Daddy_

_Where: My room_

_When: Saturday after lunch_

_R.S.V.P._

Underneath, was a small square with “yes” next to it, followed by another square for “no”. Florence had drawn her best straight line about an inch under the two options.

He smiled warmly, running a thumb over the purple flowers and brown bunny drawings. Golden stars were scribbled all over the white space around the words and pictures.

He noticed the heading was in his daughter’s handwriting, which was still developing. Aria must have written the words on a separate piece of paper for Florence to copy or the former held the little hand in hers, guiding the pencil in the shape of letters. Maybe both. 

Whichever it was, it seemed Florence didn’t want to do any more since the rest of the invitation was Aria’s penmanship. 

Floyd checked his watch.

_10:05_

He got a pen from his briefcase, drew a line over the “yes” box and signed it “Dad”. 

After eating the food Aria had left for him in the fridge, he made his way upstairs, where he placed the invitation in the little red mailbox on Florence’s door.

She wanted a mailbox on a post, like the one they have at the end of their driveway, for when she played house, but Aria found it easier to repurpose an old shoebox and mount it on the bedroom door. Florence didn’t like it much at first, but it grew on her when he and Aria started putting pictures of animals and “I love you” notes in it.

She loved it, along with the fake house number that was way higher up the door (the mailbox being at her eye level) and the yellow paper circle taped on the doorframe for a doorbell.

Floyd placed the lid back on the mailbox and went to his room, where Aria was fast asleep.

* * *

The next morning, he stepped into the hall just in time to see Florence holding up the invitation to Aria.

“Yaaay! He’s coming!” she cheered, jumping up and down excitedly, her short, brown curls following suit.

In front of her, Aria smiled. She squatted so she was the same height as Florence.

“Go get ready for school, sweetie. I’ll put this on your cork board, okay?”

The little one nodded, handed over the invitation and raced to the bathroom.

“Yay! Yay! Yay! Yaaaay!” echoed through the hall, accompanied by the pats of her sock-covered feet threading on the wood floor.

Aria turned to Floyd and kissed his cheek. “I got your coffee ready.”

He smiled and followed her to the kitchen.

Only two cups of coffee away from the invisible tea in a plastic cup.

* * *

 “Come on, daddy!” Florence jumped from her seat at the kitchen table, leaving behind the crust from her PB&J sandwich and an empty glass that was once filled with apple juice.

“You go ahead, pumpkin. Daddy will get ready,” he ruffled her hair.

As he stood from the table, Aria looked up at him.

“Get ready?” she asked.

He simply nodded and went back to their room. 

A few minutes later, he stood in front of Florence’s door and pressed the fake doorbell, completing the motion by clamoring, “ding-dong!”

Florence opened her door and her eyes widened, her mouth the shape of a small ‘o’.

“Daddy! You’re here!” she took his hand and pulled him towards the child-sized table, her tutu flouncing as she skipped.

She set up teacups and saucers for four stuffed animals—two bunnies, a fawn and a teddy bear—and two empty chairs.

Once Aria finished washing the dishes, she went over to Florence’s room.

The door was already open, so she was able to hear the exchanges.

“We have a very special guest today,” Florence said.

“Really? Who?” Tab wondered out loud.

“You, daddy!” Florence giggled. “Tea?”

“Yes, please, pumpkin.”

When Aria leaned over to look into the room, her jaw dropped.

Florence sat at the table, her back turned to the door. She wore her favorite dark pink tutu over her footie pajamas. Across from her, was Floyd. He threw on his olive drab dress uniform. Medals, presidential citation and all.

“Aww!” Aria squeaked.

Florence turned around in her purple plastic chair.

“Hi, mommy! Do you want some tea?”

“Hi, sweetie,” Aria waved. “I’ll come back in a few minutes. I need to do the laundry.”

Before her mother could walk off, Florence gave her best puppy dog eyes. “Pleeeeeeease, mommy?”

“You want to wear your new dress on Monday, don’t you?” Aria reminded her, hand on her hip, complete with a tilt of her head to the side and raised eyebrow.

Florence gasped, tiny hands on her round cheeks, remembering the frilly dress her mother bought for her recently. “Yes, mommy!”

Aria went into the room and kissed the girl’s head by the light pink bow in her hair.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Aria reassured. “Save some tea for me!"


End file.
